The relation between religion and arts in the era of Elagabalus

The Severan Dynasty is dated between 193 A.C. - 235 A.C., the period where the Roman Empire had started to lose its glory. Emperor Elagabalus appears to be one of the most extraordinary characters of this era, in which various economic problems are faced and certain policies that define the future of the empire are being implemented, with his inappropriate affairs and religious lifestyle. The Emperor, whose family exercises the "Baal" belief in the city of Emesa in Syria, was raised under this religion and was declared the high priest of the religion, when he was only 5 years old. Elagabalus, inherited the throne in 218 A.C., at 14 years old and was killed at 18, in 222 A.C., his corpse was smashed into little pieces. The main reason for this contempt was his attempt to declare his namesake god, Elagabalus the main god of the state with a Henotheist approach, above the main god Jupiter, disregarding the values of the Roman Empire. Another important reason that the reactions got louder was that he even went further and married a nun, who committed her life to the Vesta belief, which was considered highly sacred. Also the rituals of the religion of the Emperor, which were regarded deviant by Romans, practices such as child sacrifice, circumcision and eunuchism were reported as important details of his life, along with his homosexual behavior and bisexual affairs. This thesis introduces the life of Emperor Elagabalus with the aid of the statements of ancient authors, modern researches and few ruins with cultural importance and an attempt was made for the discussion of the accuracy of the expressions aforementioned. The character analyses conducted on the busts of the Emperor with Physiognomy (or Physiognomy) revealed many interesting outcomes. Keywords: Severan Dynasty, Emesa Ancient City, Emperor Elagabalus, God Elagabalus, Physiognomy (Physiognomy)